The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-19
PUBLIC DOMAIN.

class of people can make any very appre-
ciable advance in civilization without its
possession There is but little to pro-
duce patriotism, or pride Of country, in
people who are tenants at will-the soil
they tend belonging to others, and OF
which they may be deprived of at pleas
ure-and even their labor worthless with
out the patronage of the strong Gov
eminent should, therefore, feel itself
constantly bound to administer its public
lands with sedulous care, in order that
the greater number of its people may
secure homes at n nominal cost, with Sc
curty of title. The problem confront
ing the people of Texas, in this connec-
ton, comprehends the disposition of II
vast commonwealth. as a great trust,
created and assumed by the State gov.
eminent as common fund to be held and
administered for the
BEST USE AND BENEFIT
of all the people. To divert these lands
from that general object, to misapply or
improvidently cast them away, would be-
alike subversivc of the interest of the
people and contrary to the plain dictates
of duty, by which the State stands bound
in the conditions under which it holds.
this public property, and for the fulfill
ment of which its faith is pledged. The
celebrated Edmund Burke, in recon-
mending that the forest lands of the
British crown should be brought into the
market and converted into private prop
erty at a moderate price, laid down the
following just and profound maxims of
political economy: The principal rev
enue which propose to draw from these
uncultiveted wastes is to spring from the
improvement and population Of the king
dom-events infinitely more advantageous
to the crown than the rents Of the best
landed estates which 1t can hold |
would throw them into the
MASS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY.
by which they will come through the
course of civilization, and through the
political secretions of the State into well
regulated revenue" The history Of the
landed system of the United States fur.
nishes the most convincing proof of the
value of this policy. Recognizing that
the strength and wealth of the country
consists not so much in the money to be
exacted as the price of the public lands,
as in the increase of population and the
cultivation of the soil
To lease land and at the same time ro.
serve the right to sell it at any time with
out the consent of the lessees operates as
snare and delusion to both the lessee
and the settler, and measureably defeats
both sale and lease. Where there is II
reservation Of the p 'wer of selling the
lands to others, regardless of all tie
lessee should do in the way o. iAnroVi'
his leasehod, and this, too, withoht cCm.
pensating him for his Improvement or
reimbursing him for the values swept
away by the absorption of his range, and
consequent removal at an inauspcious
season, with possibly no place left to
which he may go, or the danger of be
coming the victim of. heartless eXtor-
ton on the part of those acting under
fraudulent guisc OF actual settlers, we
may hardly expect that Il prudent man
would he willing to invest his means be
fore such treacherous inducements. And
this is the precise condition of that law
which would lease land with the rcservo'
ton of the right of sale. 1t is not
AN UYcHARITABLE SUSPICION
to say that II is clear that those who 40
thus lease, do so with the settled purpose
of protecting their peculiar interests by
the exercise of terrorism and lawless
force II necessary; and the apprehension
of this danger defeats and hinders settle
ment by those who, in good faith, desire
to embrace the purpose of the law, by
the selection of land thus situated. No
better evidence could be required to es-
tablish this proposition than is found in
the result of the sales under the act of
1888. In addition to this, we have the
experience of others under the operation
of similar system of land laws in force
in New South Wales, Victoria and
Queensland where there are unlimited
areas, and where the laws, in one way
and another, have enabled individuals to
purchase the freehold of great tracts, or
to hold immense blocks on long lease
with very exclusive privileges. They
were hired from the government, averag
ing 10 shillings per square mile on long
leases and the leases were granted with
certain reservations chief among which
was the right of
ANY BONA FIDE SETTLER
to choose for himself and pay by easy
installmenis for not more than 325 acres
of land 1t was found, however. that
tbs feature was the prolific source of in
terminable and bitter contentious be-
tw cen the settler and the lessee. disturb
ing the public peace, and retarding both
sale and lease. Finally the government
of Que, nsland found a satisfactory way
out of the difficulty by making only short
leases and by restricting the settler in his
selection of land to well defined and sur.
veyed districts, which could be extended
from time to time to meet the demands
of settlement. justifying its action upon